alanjcook

Hi Everyone,

I returned home about a week ago. I'm still processing all that I experienced driving 4,250 miles through 7 countries, staying over night in 27 cities and visiting more than 40 cities total in 45 days! Plus there was time spent in Italy before the drive and a trip to London afterwards. What a trip! Epic! Awesome! Whoo hoo!

Now I am waiting for my car to arrive at my dealer in the USA. I returned it to the factory on June 30. The car is on the water and expected to reach the east coast on July 26 or 27. I originally thought I would get it around Labor Day. There is a chance I will receive it early August!

With 120 hours of seat time I have many thoughts regarding the configuration and performance of my 2013 991 C4S. I also learned a lot through the process researching, planning and experiencing my European delivery and driving trip. I am very grateful to everyone who shared their thoughts here (and elsewhere). Your postings and emails helped me prepare for and enjoy my trip immensely. Thank you Rennlisters!

I would like to share some of what I learned. Let me apologize in advance for the length of the postings that will follow! But I hope they count towards paying it forward so others can benefit from my experience when you configure your next car and/or plan an extended driving trip in Europe. Here is the list of topics I plan to write about. I will replace the headings below with links to the posts as they go live.

All best,
Alan

Section 1 - TRIP PLANNING
A. Selecting A Dealer - Post #4
B. Researching European Driving - Post #7
C. Picking up Porsche in Stuttgart - Post #9

Section 2 - C4S CAR CONFIGURATION AND ANALYSIS
A. Color Scheme and Design - Post #13
B. Performance Options and Driving Experience - Post #14
C. Creature Comforts, Ergonomics and UI - Post #15

Section 3 - RETURNING CAR TO USA - Post #36

I HOPE TO WRITE ABOUT THESE TOPICS SOON:

Section 4 - EUROPE HIGHLIGHTS
A. MY FAVORITE ROADS IN EUROPE
B. MY FAVORITE EXPERIENCES
C. NEW 911 VS. NEW CAYMAN AT NURBURGRING
D. ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS?

If you would like me to talk about anything else on the trip let me know and I'll try to address it!

Thank you again for cheering me on!

Talk soon,
Alan

David in Talent

Alan, THANK YOU for doing this !! I have been to Germany twice and to the factory tour 3 times. My lifelong dream has been to pick up a new car at the factory and tour Provence, tuscany, Austria and Switzerland. That will happen once my parents' estate is settled (they passed in 1996 !!). Am looking at a C2S with PDK, Sport Chrono, PSE, Sport PASM among the MUST HAVE options. Currently have a C4S and feel that with all the electronic nannies on the 991 that the C4 models are not necessary unless you drive in snow.

jlanka

Thanks for all your insight Alan. Looking forward to comparing notes, I'm taking delivery tomorrow.

alanjcook

Section 1 - TRIP PLANNING
A. SELECTING A DEALER

I started thinking about European Delivery during 2012. I visited several dealers, test drove a few cars and played endlessly with the online configurator. I worked with small dealer closest to where I live to order my car even though a Premier Dealer was located twenty miles further away. I selected the closer dealer because it was "more convenient." This turned out to be a mistake.

We discussed my goals and timing for picking up a 2013 C4S in Stuttgart and worked backwards to when we needed to order the car. Dealer said they would place order with factory mid-January 2013. So I dropped off a deposit check mid-December 2012.

A month later the dealer called me to say they decided to use their January C4S build-slot to order a car for their showroom because my car would be done too far in advance of my intended pick-up date. “But don't worry, we'll order your car next month with our next C4S build slot."

My dealer called me in a panic a few weeks later. He said the dealership received their allocations for the next six months and there were no allocations of C4S bodies! I could buy a car from the showroom or try again in the summer! Kudos to them being honest with the situation, but I was disappointed because we had discussed my desired schedule for more than six months and rescheduling my trip wasn't a realistic option. Despite the issue, the dealer's candor let me make alternate plans to save my trip.

So I called the Premier Dealer located a little further away and spoke to someone I met earlier in the shopping process. I candidly explained what was happening with the other dealer, emailed my configuration to him, and within thirty minutes we agreed to price and terms. Two days later I drove to dealer #1, tried one last time to save the deal, and they confirmed again there weren't any good options he returned my deposit check and we shook hands. I appreciate them being friendly through the break-up and look forward to seeing the manager at the local track later this summer. Then I continued driving to dealer #2 and wrote out a new deposit check. I had a confirmed build order number within twenty-four hours.

LESSONS LEARNED:

1. MANAGE YOUR E.D. TIMELINE LIKE YOU WOULD MANAGE ANY OTHER DEAL OR PROJECT

2. IF YOU ARE ORDERING A CAR, DO NOT ASSUME THE DEALER HAS AVAILABILITY. CONFIRM THERE IS AN AVAILABLE BUILD SLOT.

3. CHOOSE YOUR DEALER BASED ON INVENTORY, SERVICE AND SUPPORT LEVELS, EVEN IF THAT MEANS DRIVING A LITTLE EXTRA. THE PREMIER DEALER HAD SUPERIOR INVENTORY ALLOCATION AND PROVIDED EXCELLENT SUPPORT WHEN FINALIZING THE CONFIGURATION.

BTW, the service and product knowledge between the two dealers was enormous. When I asked about a potential option the “small dealer" almost always encouraged me to take it. The “big dealer" asked deeper clarifying questions on how I will drive car and provided examples of customers that liked and disliked the same option based on their usage. I found this approach more helpful and even dropped a few options based on their recommendations.

alanjcook

You'll have a great trip. I drove through parts of Germany, Switzerland, Austria, northern Italy and the south of France. Plus Leichtenstein and Monaco

PDK vs. 7MT is personal preference (I went 7MT, will explain why in a future post, but can't go wrong either way); I discovered Sport Chrono is very valuable with manual transmission (not just for PDK); I skipped Sport PASM based on dealer feedback from other customers who live in my area, however, regular PASM in Sport setting is softer than my old 3-series BMW and I look forward to driving a friend's Sport PASM later this summer. PSE doesn't "do" anything but it makes me smile from ear to ear! It's a grin machine. My car would be lacking something important without it. I purchased a C4S but if I lived in an area with less snow I would have gone C2S, too!

Enjoy! Are you taking delivery in USA or Germany?

jlanka

USA. The car in my avatar is it, just getting final dealer prep.

alanjcook

Section 1 - TRIP PLANNING
B. RESEARCHING EUROPEAN DRIVING TRIP

I have been wanting to purchase a car with European Delivery ever since I was in college. So this trip was more than 20 years in the making! Top Gear’s episodes on the best roads to drive in the world shaped my itinerary. Here is a collection of websites and other information that I found helpful in planning my trip.

WHEN CONSIDERING EUROPEAN DELIVERY, GOOGLE THESE TERMS AND REVIEW THE FIRST TWENTY RESULTS (ok ok, at least look at the first few results):

"Best Roads to Drive in Europe"
"European Delivery Itinerary"
"Top Gear's Best Roads"

Here is one example of the types of sites you’ll get in your results list:

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/20074301/n...-great-drives/

Along the way I found some personal blogs with specific itinerary suggestions, trip experience notes and suggestions on how to spend a week, 2 weeks, a month, etc. in Europe. These were my 3 most useful bookmarks:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/wiki/index...ed_Itineraries
http://www.planet-9.com/blogs/25668-mike-r.html
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...n-the-alps.cfm

The first link taught me to look at car sites for other marquees; the brands may vary but the roads are the same! Mike R's blog is flat-out awesome. The last link has a post by someone named Alan (not me) which also proved very helpful.

An alternative to purchasing a car for ED is to rent a car or join a driving tour. Porsche and BMW also offer factory sponsored driving tours. Look up the information on their websites for another good place to get ideas for your driving itinerary. The websites from third-party driving tour companies also proved helpful, in particular I enjoyed their highlights of their favorite roads. I don’t have personal experience with the tours or services below, nor do I have any personal connection to them. I just found their websites and itineraries to be very helpful and I would consider a trip with them in the future:

http://www.ultimatedrives.net/top-10-roads/index.php
http://www.motorbikeeurope.com/en/ro...ategory/top100

Once you get to Europe you will find that road conditions change frequently, especially in the mountains where temperatures at the summit can be 40 or 50 degrees colder than at the base. Unseasonably late snow forced me to reroute more than ten days of my trip. The weather proved once again it's not the plan the matters but the planning that let's you be flexible!

Here is the site I checked on a daily basis to review the status of roads and mountain passes:

http://alpenpaesse.co

(note: the top level domain is .co without the m)

alanjcook

Looks sweet. Is that a duck tail in the back? Enjoy your pickup. Look forward to seeing more pictures after delivery!

alanjcook

Section 1 - TRIP PLANNING
C. PICKING UP YOUR PORSCHE IN STUTTGART

There are several other recent threads that detail factory pick-up experiences, including those by Eduardo (z356) and Mike (stealthboy). Apologies to others not mentioned here! I will try to avoid repeating what has already been written and add my personal experiences.

Both my dealer and Jaimie Dillon at PCNA were dynamite in helping me select my hotel, confirm my insurance and answering many detailed questions. I received Jaimie's contact information about 30 days before pick up. I received a nice leather folder, err, kinda cheap made-in-China folio with imitation leather but the contents were very helpful.

Then I got antsy for a month waiting to collect the car. When your day arrives I have one word: cargasm!

I was able to sleep reasonably well the night before. Porsche puts customers up for one night at one of two hotels, which are more or less across the street from each other near the main train station. I stayed at the Steigenberger. Nice room and helpful service.

BTW, I stayed at another Steigenberger Hotel in Germany and had an equally positive experience. Personally I would stay there again. However, if you are staying in Stuttgart for more than several days there are a number of less expensive but also quality hotels. I believe Eduardo listed a few recently. Booking.com was a great reference for hotel ratings and making reservations throughout Europe, too.

I arrived in Stuttgart on a Wednesday evening and picked up my car Friday morning. In the 36 hours between arrival and pickup, I found a jazz club, visited the Mercedes Museum, worked out at the hotel, got a thai massage and found a couple of good restaurants the couple of days before I picked up the car.

Some details and color commentary of my time in Stuttgart are posted on by blog here, here or here. For pictures of the car at pickup at the factory see this link, or this link or this link!

The Porsche factory was a twenty-to-thirty minute taxi ride from the hotel or about an hour by subway. Taxi ride can be longer if you hit rush hour traffic. The ED information packet provides directions, taxi voucher and a card with German language instructions to direct the taxi driver to the specific drop off location.

I registered at the front desk and walked through the Porsche Exclusive showroom. Then my name was called. I did some paper work, paid for my extended insurance and had a very detailed walk through through every feature of the car.

There were maybe a dozen European deliveries that morning. I had the first walk through and was able to go through every feature and ask every question I had. Other people started their walk through later than me. But we all had to end at the same time for factory tour and lunch. So, my walk through was twice as long as some of the others.

After the factory tour (fun) and lunch (great meal) I toured the Porsche Museum (awesome for Porschephiles but not recommended for non-Porsche people or non-gearheads; the Mercedes Museum is a different story), got in my car, mounted the Go Pro and drove off. I returned to the hotel to pick up dry cleaning and then continued a couple hours in rush-hour traffic to Baden Baden.

Some people I met at lunch (who were on their sixth European Delivery) told me they were just driving back to the hotel that night and continuing on to their next destination the next morning. Now I understand why. Pickup day is an adrenaline rush. Totally awesome! But my blood sugar and energy level crashed early in the evening. So next time I will do as the veterans did.

LESSONS LEARNED:

ARRIVE AT THE FACTORY EARLY, IF POSSIBLE, TO MAXIMIZE TIME AVAILABLE FOR YOUR WALK THROUGH.

STAY IN OR NEAR STUTTGART THE NIGHT YOU PICK UP YOUR CAR. DON'T JUST DRIVE OFF TO YOUR NEXT DESTINATION. EURO DELIVER IS EMOTIONAL AND GREAT FUN -- BUT I WAS DRAINED WHEN I GOT TO THE HOTEL THAT NIGHT! MAKE IT EASY ON YOURSELF ALLOW EXTRA TIME AFTER PICKING UP YOUR CAR TO TAKE IT ALL IN.

jlanka

Sorry to muck up your thread. Its actually an aerokit

alanjcook

No problem! Did you take delivery? How does it drive?

alanjcook

Section 2 - Car Configuration and Analysis
I love the way my car came out! Here is my configuration:

Model and Performance Features
2013 Carerra 4S
Coupe with glass sunroof
7-speed manual transmission
Sport Chrono package
Sport Exhaust
PASM (standard version with USA S models, no SPASM or PDCC)

Color Scheme and Design
Exterior: Anthracite Metallic Brown
Interior: Two-tone full-leather: Agate Gray/Pebble Gray with deviating stitching
Carbon fiber on dash, console and door sill guards with illuminated entry
Multifunction steering wheel with leather steering column casing
Black gauges

Creature Comforts and Other Options
14-way Sport Seats
Premium Package Plus with Comfort Entry
Burmester Stereo
Front and Rear Parking Assist
Smoking Package
Retractable Mirrors
Steering Wheel Heating
Telephone Module
Electronic Logbook
AHA Online Services

My impressions of my car's appearance, driving performance and ergonomics of the creature comforts and electronics are addressed in the next few posts:
A. Color Scheme and Design - Post #13
B. Performance Options and Driving Experience - Post #14
C. Creature Comforts, Ergonomics and UI - Post #15

alanjcook

Section 2 - Car Configuration and Analysis
A. Color Scheme and Design

IMO, my car is gorgeous inside and out. I concede I may be guilty of proud papa syndrome

Anthracite Metallic Brown looks very different in different light. AMB is not a chocolate brown or dark brown. It can look bronze, silver or dark grey depending on ambient light and cloud cover. Less than 6% of 911’s were ordered in Anthracite Metallic Brown in the United States during the 2013 model year, but I seemed to have noticed "many" Anthracite Brown’s in Europe. It’s a really sharp color and people comment favorably on it often.

Agate grey leather is lighter in person than shown in the 2013 991 configurator, but it is about the same as in the 2014 981 (Boxtster) configurator. The agate grey leather has some chocolate undertones. It is a great match with the Anthracite Metallic Brown. AMB looks great with Agate Gray, but I am undecided how it would look with a Black exterior.

Two-tone leather increases the perception of space inside the car. I’ve sat in all-black, agate grey and yachting blue cars 991’s; they feel much smaller than my car. The light gray on the seats and lower dash increases the feel of space inside the car.

Next time I will deviate the color of the carpet. I have dark floor mats but passed on the option of deviating the carpet to a darker color. I believe this was the only mistake I made in "designing" the car. Dark carpet would be easier to keep clean than my light carpet.

I don’t know how well the light seats will hold up over time, but I’m up for the challenge. I’ll have to report back in the future.

Deviating stitching on the dashboard and doors looks great. I thought the stitching on the optional leather steering column would be pebble grey (the light color). But the agate grey stitching (the darker color) is standard for this part. Eduardo has a stellar thread about Porsche Exclusive options and I highly recommend reading in detail. After some discussion with the factory and my dealer a new steering column casing with deviating stitching will be installed prior to my USA delivery. This will improve the appearance of the steering column from passenger seat. Hopefully it will not impact the driving experience (you can barely see the top of trim when driving). Stay tuned!

Carbon fiber makes the interior look richer than the standard silver inserts on the dash and center console. The carbon fiber pattern looks black from a distance and grey from certain angles. It’s a great match with the agate and pebble gray. During my trip I saw some other cars two-tone agate/pebble interiors but standard silver inserts. This proud papa prefers his configuration. If you go with a agate/pebble interior at least consider a "dark" option (carbon, paint, deviating leather) for the interior trim.

The standard grey tach is difficult to see in bright sunshine. The first Porsche I drove 25 years ago had all-black gauges. So I ordered black gauges to match my teenage memory. Looks sharp. However, I have since driven several cars with the standard grey tachonometer (including laps on the Nurburgring) and find the standard grey difficult to see during the day. I highly recommend this no-cost option.

I ordered the multi-function wheel primarily for PCM controls. I had several nervous moments while waiting for my car after reading other threads that suggest the “Sports Steering Wheel” is a “must get”. The regular wheel and Sports wheel come with a control-stalk for the secondary PCM display. After driving cars with all three steering wheels and I found the standard wheel to be plenty thick and the secondary PCM display easier to control with the multifunction controls. I have some nits with the operation of the steering wheel thumb-wheels and design of the PCM in general, but I’ll save that for another post. My point is: choose the steering wheel based on your personal preference. It’s hard to make a mistake.

The glass sun roof and driving experience is addressed in the next post (#14).

alanjcook

Section 2 - Car Configuration and Analysis
B. Performance Options and Driving Experience

The coupe with glass sunroof is best of both worlds for me. I live in a place where winter is pretty rough. So I eliminated the cabriolet option. But the glass sunroof compliments my desire for a more open interior. After 4,250 miles (albeit over mostly smooth European roads) there is no evidence of the slightest rattle. I recognize that I need to reserve judgement on rattle until after I drive more miles over rougher roads in the next few years.

I thought I would wish the sunroof would open up more, but the clear glass extends towards the rear of the car. The translucence makes the interior seem plenty open. The power shade is versatile. Controls for opening and closing the main panel, tilt up position, etc. are intuitive (to me at least, I’ll explain in how/why in the next post). The wind deflector deploys automatically depending on roof position and wind noise is minimal.

I’m mixed on the 7-speed manual transmission but I still prefer it to PDK. When all is said and done the 7-speed is the right choice for me, even with tightly spaced gates. I shifted into the wrong gear more than a few times during my first 4,000 miles! Further, I have botched shifts on other 991 cars at Barber Motors Sports Park and the Nurburgring this summer. This probably says more about my (lack of) driving skill than the car, but I don’t recall making as many shifting mistakes with my mid 1990’s BMW 3-series. Perhaps I’m just getting old!

In the last six months I have driven 7MT and PDK on tracks. The PDK shifts faster than I can and I go faster when removing shifting from the equation in certain challenging situations. But I find it difficult to know which gear the PDK is in at high speeds. Further, even in full manual mode the PDK will sometimes shift when I would prefer another gear and sacrifice speed for balance to prepare for an off-camber turn, incline or some other condition.

That said, both transmissions are really good -- it just depends on your personal priorities. I wouldn’t shoot myself if my car had PDK. Despite my luddite personal preference I concede PDK is better in many situations: PDK accelerates quicker and is faster around a track. In my opinion, PDK is the best tool if top speed and lowest lap times are paramount. But if you place higher value on driving involvement or maximum control, and you are willing to sacrifice a little speed to achieve that, then 7MT superior. Again, there is no absolute answer to, "Which transmission is best?" It just depends on what priorities you are solving for.

The Sport Chrono package is a “must have” -- especially with a manual transmission. The acceleration benefits of SC with PDK are well documented, but I wasn’t sure if I would get much benefit from Sport Chrono with 7MT. I almost skipped this feature because other internet comments asserted SC is a waste with a manual. Plus, I find Sport Plus mode overly harsh with PDK in many situations, too! But the auto-blipping-on-downshift feature seemed "cool" and I wanted to avoid the risk of buyers remorse in the future, so I bought the feature anyway. If I better understood what dynamic engine mounts deliver I would have checked this box without hesitation. In fact, I think SC more essential with 7MT than PDK!

Here is why.

Thrash can be introduced in the drivetrain when changing gears. The computer inside the PDK is an expert shifter, so to speak. But us humans can execute a good gear change or a poor gear change. And lower quality gear changes cause “herky jerking” (technical term!). The dynamic engine mounts absorb the herky jerks and deliver a brilliantly smooth shift.

Before you attack my (lack of) driving skill or talk about “real drivers do it themselves” let’s just move on to how Sports Plus “adds smoothness” with a manual transmission. This makes the car easier to live with around town at low speeds and preserves more momentum at high speeds.

I didn’t appreciate what dynamic engine mounts really did prior to my purchase. I dismissed them as “unnecessary technological trickery”. But activating them by engaging Sport Plus changes the character of the car in a big way. S+ with 7MT adds smoothness, which makes the car easier to live with around town; it also makes you faster on a circuit. S+ with PDK adds harshness, which makes the car more responsive. Is this good or bad? That depends. If you are a perfectly balanced driver then S+PDK will add speed; but if you are less than perfectly balanced, you will scrub off speed and slow down.

One Nurburging driving coach said it another way: if you are an exceptional driver then turning off the nannies provides additional capabilities with additional exposure to risk. If you are a driver with “lesser than perfect abilities” and PSM kicks in, well, you probably want it to Please Save Me! Further, on track days back back home when conditions are wet or less than ideal we run the cars in the softest suspension settings.

The only down side for me with Sports Plus and 7MT is the car is so smooth it loses a touch of soul. I can appreciate that some detractors would not want to dampen emotional driving character -- even if it makes you smoother or faster (like I feel about PDK).

While I understand why Porsche made the decision to couple dynamic engine mount settings and auto-blipping-when-downshifting (because they both increase smoothness and speed), I wish these features could be turned on and off independently. Engaging Sport Plus mode activates the dynamic engine mounts and activates auto-blipping-when-downshifting. Turning off Sports Plus mode deactivates (or dials down?) the dynamic engine mounts and turns off the auto-blipping feature. I personally wish these could be turned on/off independently.

A few other thoughts:

The difference between NORMAL and SPORT suspension stiffness with PASM (not SPASM OR PDCC) is meaningful but not enormous. My dealer relayed complaints about SPASM from other customers living in my area. They complained our bad, bumpy roads make the car too-rough with SPASM. So I got the PASM that is standard on USA-spec S and 4S (but optional on the base Carerra). My car does not have Sport Suspension, SPASM or PDCC.

So, to be clear, we are talking about regular PASM with Normal and Sport settings. I found the Sport setting to be softer than my old 3-series BMW and Porsches I remember from the late 80’s and mid-90’s.

I generally prefer the Sport setting to the Normal setting. When driving on smooth roads or at modest speeds there is little difference in driver comfort between the two settings. However, on rough roads, less-than-smooth expressways at high speeds, and rainy conditions I would generally find the chassis more comfortable in the Normal setting.

I know that selecting Sport mode or Sport Plus mode puts the chassis into the Sport setting. But I could NOT tell if the chassis stiffness in the Normal or Sport settings remains constant or changes as you move from base to Sport to Sport Plus modes.

Sports Exhaust increases my visceral connection to the car. Lots has been said elsewhere on Sports Exhaust so I won’t write much about it here other than I really enjoy it and appreciate that you can turn it on and off. If I want to talk on phone or listen to music I can turn it off. If I am blasting through country side it’s roof open, windows down and exhaust on loud! The burbles and gurgles when slowing down and downshifting induce huge smiles.

Overall the car is a hoot to drive. Far more livable at low speeds around town than I could have ever imagined. A blast in the twisties. A monster on the track. I strongly prefer the 991 over the new 981 Cayman after back-to-back hot laps on the Nurburging -- but I’ll save the reasons why for another post

Next post (#15) has some thoughts on the creature comforts, ergonomics and UI of the electronic goodies.

alanjcook

Section 2 - Car Configuration and Analysis
C. Creature Comforts and Other Options

In this post I'll address some non-driving aspects of the car: creature comforts and electronics. I realize these opinions are highly subjective, but my day job includes aspects of product design and I can’t help but pay outsized attention to small details. Here are my observations!

14-way Power Sport Seats. Before my purchase I sat in cars with 14-way and 18-way seats in a showroom and drove cars with both types seats on a track. Different seats fit different bodies in different ways. My advice is not to pre-judge which seats are best for you. Just sit in both and see what fits you better. 4000+ miles later I’m happy with my personal choice.

Premium Package Plus with Comfort Entry

- Automatically Dimming Mirrors. I thought this feature would be a gimmick because I lived without it for years on my other cars. But ADM is really nice to have -- especially as the car sits lower than SUV's and minivans.

- Seat Heating. These seats do not get as hot as my 5-series BMW, but they get plenty warm! I turned the seat heat down several times over long stretches through snow-covered mountains with exterior temps in the mid-30’s (F).

- Seat Ventilation. I never owned car with this feature before but I like it. I have been a passenger in Lexus IS convertible in southern California with ventilated seats. I can’t compare the Porsche ventilation to the Lexus ventilation, but the seat ventilation is strong and increased my comfort and my girlfriend’s comfort during several long stretches driving in hot temperatures, i.e., 80's and 90s (F).


- Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS). I noticed the dynamic cornering lights, but not in a huge way. I thought the side-to-side swiveling of the light would be more dramatic at night.

- Porsche Entry & Drive. I’m mixed on this on this feature. A key stub remains in the ignition that is uglier than a push button. I forgot to turn the fob over to a valet on several occasions. The frunk opens automatically if the fob is in your pocket and you wave your head over the front bumper. This proved to be a pain in the *** when I washed the car! I wish the auto frunk release could be turned off. When I came home to a dead battery in my BMW after a long trip, I used the physical key to open the door and pull a mechanical handle to open the trunk to jump the battery. I fear the PITA factor will be high if the battery ever dies in my Porsche in the future. I know there is a physical key hidden in the fob, etc. but I dread the day I have to find it, extract it and remember how to conduct the seance to use it!

- Light Design Package. I was mildly disappointed in this. It is not as dramatic as the lighting in a modern Mercedes E or S class. Or a cheap limo to the airport. Nice idea that would be better with more control in turning lighting areas on/off and adjusting brightness in each area. If Porsche wants to play “luxury” they should dabble with light strips in doors and backlight the carbon fiber trim and headliner. I concede this is not at all important for sporty driving or racing. I just note that Porsche competitors are better at these details.

- Driver Memory. Should be standard with all power seats in my opinion. Is it in 2014?


Air conditioning. Worked very well. I experienced temperatures ranging from mid 90’s to low 30’s (F). Driver and passenger was very comfortable throughout trip.

Burmester Stereo. This is the only option I’m genuinely disappointed in but I'll try alternate settings when the car gets home. I listened to Burmester in a Panamera and was blown away with clarity, detail, airiness and sound stage. The 911 system with same reference source material does not sound as clear. I don’t know how the sound compares to Bose and base options in the 991. The sound was a little better towards the end of the trip when I shifted the front/rear fade towards the rear. I’m looking forward to a fresh listen with different settings when my car arrives in USA and I can compare to my BMW stereo. However, the Burmester seems muddy compared to my home stereo and recollection of the sound of the Burmester in the Panamera. Disappointing. Perhaps I should have installed an aftermarket amp and speaker combo?

Front and Rear Parking Assist. Helpful but okay. I like the animated screen you get with Front and Rear (vs. front or rear only). Lights go red when you still have 12 inches to surface. I wish you could calibrate the sensitivity and a factory camera was an option.

Smoking Package. This covers the opening on the center console. The cover pops open from time to time. There is no good place to put my phone when connected to the PCM with USB cable.

Retractable Mirrors. Useful in certain situations in Europe when parking in very tight places. Not sure how helpful or necessary this will be back home in USA.

Steering Wheel Heating. I don’t use it often in my BMW but when I do I’m glad its there. Feel the same way about it in the Porsche. I don’t expect to use it often but I’m happy its an option for me. It worked well the several times I used it.

Telephone module. Bought this feature to use unlocked SIMs in Europe. Phone sound quality is excellent, but each time I put in a new SIM card the phone book cleared out. I wish the numbers I stored in the car would remain in the system when I replaced the SIM card.

Electronic Logbook. I bought this to document my trip through Europe. I haven’t been able to run the application on my Mac! Will use a PC at work (or another Mac that has ability to run Windows programs). Based on size of data files I’m not expecting a lot of useful information. If you need to log mileage for work get this. Otherwise skip it.

Bigger hard drive with Electronic Logbook for Jukebox. The PCM interface for the jukebox is horrible compared to iTunes and other applications that have better ways to create and edit playlists on the fly. I will delete and reinstall the media in my jukebox when the car gets home. Using folders and clean file names is essential if you want to easily navigate your music collection on the Jukebox. Some ID3 tags are ignored. I wish Porsche would work with another company that knows how to organize mobile music better...

AHA online services. But Harmon is not the one! I didn’t love the Aha service but to be fair I didn’t use it very much because international data on my iPhone was very expensive so I limited it’s use. Maybe my impression of AHA will get better when I reassess this feature after my car comes home.

European navigation on PCM. Essential for European delivery based on high utility of secondary LED display next to tachonometer. See section below for more information.

Model delete. Crest on wheels. Crest on headrests. I like my choices but understand other people have personal preferences. Don’t have useful guidance here. Get what you prefer!

Various Electronics and Controls

-- ***** on the PCM: Feel. There is a lot of play in the *****. Feels too cheap for a $130K car! I would expect every button and **** to feel like its chiseled from a billet of aluminum or steel. I wish the ***** had less play in them.

-- ***** on the PCM: Usage. I typically turn something clockwise for “more or next” and counter-clockwise for “less or previous”. The right **** on the PCM seems “backwards” when scrolling through vertical lists.

-- PCM Sub-menus: There are buttons for NAVI, MAP, CAR and INFO. Pressing OPTIONS brings up secondary choices for each of these features. Knowing where to go for a specific feature is not intuitive. Even after 100+ hours and 4000+ miles I find myself pressing several buttons to find the menu or sub-menu I need. I wish this was more intuitive and could be massaged in an OPTIONAL future software update.

-- Secondary LED display next to the tachometer is hugely helpful -- far more than I could have ever imagined. It is my opinion that getting European maps on the hard drive is essential for European Delivery because the built-in screens are so much better than stand-alone Garmin or smart phone. The second screen was great on mountain passes.

-- Sunroof Controls: Some automotive journalists complain the buttons are not intuitive for opening or closing the roof, sunshade or tilt-up vent. The usage metaphor is tilting the rocker switch towards the rear of the car opens and the tilting the rocker switch towards the front of the car closes. The front part of the switch is for the shade and the back part of the switch is for the glass window. Makes sense to me but no one at factory or elsewhere online said the “trick” is to think of the tilt direction of the switch to determine open or close

-- iPod interface through PCM and steering wheel buttons: Oof. Not great because I cannot use the thumbwheels on the steering wheel to blindly select next song or previous song like I can with the steering wheel buttons on my BMW (or other cars). Yes, I can drill into a menu, roll the wheel up or down to locate a specific song and then click to play it. But that requires multiple steps and taking eyes off road to focus to actively make a selection. While I can select next song or last song with the buttons that are within easy reach on PCM, I would prefer to do this from steering wheel.

-- Comfort access controls. I mentioned above that the frunk would open when I washed the car. I want a driver selectable option in the PCM to defeat the sensor to open the frunk.